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  • Article

The secret lives of Britain’s first Black physicians

Dr Annabel Sowemimo explores the web of connections between early Black British doctors, the role of empire in West Africa and the pernicious reach of scientific racism.

  • Article

The rise and fall of a medical mesmerist

Uncover the fascinating story of the doctor who popularised hypnotism as a medical technique, and could name Dickens among his famous friends.

  • Article

Epidemic threats and racist legacies

Epidemiology is the systematic, data-driven study of health and disease in populations. But as historian Jacob Steere-Williams suggests, this most scientific of fields emerged in the 19th century imbued with a doctrine of Western imperialism – a legacy that continues to influence how we talk about disease.

  • Article

Theriac: An ancient brand?

The name theriac survived for around for two millennia as a pharmaceutical term. But a ‘brand’ name is not always a guarantee of quality.

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Images

  • Watsonia pillansii L.Bolus Iridaceae Bugle lily, Distribution: South Africa. Named for Sir William Watson (1715-1787), British botanist and physician, sometime censor at the Royal College of Physicians, London. No medicinal uses. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Watsonia pillansii L.Bolus Iridaceae Bugle lily, Distribution: South Africa. Named for Sir William Watson (1715-1787), British botanist and physician, sometime censor at the Royal College of Physicians, London. No medicinal uses. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Rehmannia angulata (Oliv.)Hemsl. Scrophulariaceae Chinese foxglove. Distribution: China. Named for Joseph Rehmann ((1753-1831) German physician (Stearn, 1994) who emigrated to St Petersburg and became the personal physician to Tsar Nicholas 1. Rehmannia glutinosa is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for arthritis. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Three London scenes: a man being cajoled by two prostitutes, a young man being accosted by two debt-collectors, and a physician attending a patient. Coloured etching by G. Cruikshank after J. Sheringham, 1821.
  • Eschscholzia californica Cham. Papaveraceae. Californian poppy. Named for German botanist and physician, Johan Friedrich von Eschscholtz (1793-1831). Distribution: North America. Official state flower of California. Contains berberine, considered a potential source for many new medicines, and numerous alkaloids some of which may have mild anxiolytic activity. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Westringia longifolia R.Br. Lamiaceae. Long leaf Westringia. Shrub. Distribution: Australia. Commemorates Dr Johan (John) Peter Westring (sometimes West Ring (1753-1833), also known as Johan Petter Westrin), physician to King Karl XIV of Sweden, and a keen lichenologist. He was born in Linköping, Sweden, where his father was a shoemaker. No information has been found for any medicinal use or toxicity, Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • On the influence of abnormal parturition, difficult labours, premature birth, and asphyxia neonatorum, on the mental and physical condition of the child, especially in relation to deformities / by W.J. Little ..., Senior Physician to the London Hospital; founder of the Royal Orthopædic Hospital ... ; communicated by Dr. Tyler Smith.
  • Magnolia stellata (Siebold & Zuch.) Maxim. Magnoliaceae. Star magnolia. Small flowering tree. Distribution: Japan. Named for the French botanist and physician, Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), Professor of Botany and Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Montpelier. Charles Plumier (1646-1704) named a tree on Martinique after him (Magnolia) and the name was continued by Linnaeus (1753). No medicinal use. This is a very ancient genus of flowering plants. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Bergenia ciliata (Haw.)Sternb. Saxifraginaceae. Elephant's ears. Named for Karl August von Bergen (1704-1759), physician and botanist, professor at Viadrina University, Frankfurt. Has hairy leaves, hence ciliata. Distribution: E. Afghanistan, Himalayas, Assam. Used for fevers, diarrhoea, bruises and boils, coughs, renal stones, diabetes, heart disease, haemorrhoids, stomach disorders (Harish et al www.ijabpt.com). It was described in the 1820s so there is no early literature. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Royal College of Physicians, London. Engraving.
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